Korean J Psychopharmacol.
2004 Jun;15(2):154-161.
Quetiapine, Mood Stabilizer?
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- As the advantages of atypical antipsychotics in bipolar disorder have been known, the approval of indications of these drugs is expanding. According to APA practice guidelines, in addition to lithium and valproate, atypical antipsychotics are recommended as the first-line agent in treating acute manic or mixed episode with mild severity. Quetiapine like other atypical antipsychotics such as risperidone or olanzapine is an effective antipsychotic drug in treating bipolar disorder. Based on currently available clinical evidences, quetiapine was approved in Korea and United States as a monotherapy or combination therapy in treating bipolar disorder. It is expecting that the use of quetiapine in patients with bipolar is increasing considering the efficacy and favorable side effect profiles. But more studies are needed to investigate the long-term efficacy and tolerability of mono-therapy or combination therapy in the maintenance period.